Can we be both different and alike?
by MCalhen
Summary: Even on other sides of the fences, friendships can be forged. But love is tougher to work out during rivalries. Especially during upcoming tournaments. Eventually Olette x Fuu, as well as hints of unrequited love.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts, and like everything else in my life, Square Enix owns it. Square Enix rules my life. Even the manga I read, not just the games I play!

Warnings: Lesbianism, yo. It is Olette/Fuu, after all. Some unrequited love on several parts, though.

Notes: Excuse the fact that I suck at female perspectives, and give me a encouraging tips, not destructive criticism. It's hard to get into the mind and thoughts of the opposite gender, and I fear I may have rushed things a bit. Before anyone grills me on the progress between Olette and Fuu, I've honestly tried to write them in character as possible for the Kingdom Hearts universe. Fuu and Olette have sort of been enemies, between when they were all a bunch of innocent kids and before the last few months. This takes time about a year after the events of Kingdom Hearts 2, so they're growing up. In that time, people can change, and people can be alike and not alike too. Olette won't get Fuu so easily. I'm just delusioning you all into thinking that.

* * *

If someone asked Pence or Hayner about Olette, they'd probably point out two things. The first would be the murderous glare she'd sent them the night before when she found out they hadn't finished their homework. The second would be the downright dirty blackmail she'd used on Pence the day before last to get him to go to the mall with her. They always skipped over one small detail though – Olette protected them like no other. Whether it was dragging Hayner out of a ridiculous plot to upstage Seifer or simply standing in front of her friends before mere rivalry became the next street brawl, Olette was always fiercely standing by her friends. She did it with a graceful, calm face and a hell of a lot more self discipline than Hayner could ever manage, but she was always there.

Sometimes it just wasn't warranted, though. Sometimes…oh, those boys really were fools, weren't they? A beach trip is supposed to be full of excitement, but not like this. Oh no. Not when Seifer and Hayner are both conspiring another plot to upstage each other. Olette had not kept a hidden savings jar from Hayner for this trip and pushed to have their homework all done by today just for them to end up at the beach brawling. She wouldn't have anything to do with this childish affair in the least! So what could a girl do but stare helplessly as Seifer and Hayner attempted to best each other in swimming, volleyball, and whatever competitive activities they could come up with?

Wrong. There was Sea Salt Ice Cream and Watermelon at the beach, just asking to be consumed.

Raijin and Fujin never stopped watching Seifer, standing near enough to show their support and far away enough to be out of his way. They were Seifer's best friends and Olette had to give them credit for always standing behind their friends. She had doubts about her own companions, or at least the one numbskull who decided it was a good idea to challenge Seifer to every competition known to man. She loved Hayner, she really did, but she almost thought this competition with Seifer was almost…no, she shook her head as she walked to the stand to get Sea Salt ice cream. Hayner would murder her if he were to find out what she was thinking.

Olette returned to Pence's side, holding five things of Sea Salt ice cream. She thrust one into Pence's hand before turning to Fuu and Rai and offering them each a bar. Both stared at her doubtfully, and she could hear Pence mutter something behind her under his breath. She couldn't make out the words, but she had a pretty good idea what he might have been saying – what was the point in offering ice cream to the people on Seifer's side? She didn't really understand why Pence could be friends and chat with Rai one minute, and as soon as Seifer and Hayner went at it, treated them as enemies.

"Uh…" Rai paused for a minute, and then let out a shrug. "Um, thanks, then?"

Fuu said nothing, but reached out a delicate hand and Olette could feel just how soft her skin was against her own fingers as the ice cream bar exchanged ownership.

"Hey, Olette, you only have five ice creams," Pence pointed out, glancing over at Seifer and Hayner. Was she going to deny Seifer one?

"Oh, this one is an extra one for me," Olette said with a grin. "It's hot out here, don't you agree? I hope it doesn't melt while I'm finishing the first one."

"What about Hayner?"

"Forget him," she said with a shrug. "He didn't save up the money for this trip to the beach – I did. Right now, he's turned it into…" She paused, not wanting to say something negative, bitter as she felt at the moment. Her friendly outing was not going dream like, and hey – she couldn't help it if she wanted something to go as she planned. So decidedly, the fault was Hayner's and Seifer's too. Too bad they were too engaged in calling out challenges to each other while deciding to play volleyball with some older guys to notice they were being denied ice cream. The guys on the opposing teams were starting to look annoyed, even though they had originally offered to let Seifer and Hayner to play volleyball – they were being as ignored as the friends. Olette hoped they kicked the other two out to resume their fun, peaceful game and then Seifer and Hayner could see how Olette had treated everyone but the two of them.

Olette wasn't kidding about the heat though. She found herself eating her ice cream a lot faster than she usually would as both bars melted and dripped down her hands. She didn't care – the beach always seemed so aesthetically pleasing until she got sand in her orange and yellow flowered bikini and had crabs scurrying across her beach towel. A little blue ice cream on the fingers and down her hands was nothing, or so she wanted to think. She prided herself as still being a bit of a dirty, messy tomboy even though Pence and Hayner would tease her sometimes because she frequently liked to shop and kept up with fashions (until she kicked their asses at basketball. Being tall and agile really did have its benefits).

Despite pretending her hands weren't sticky when she finished off the last bit of her ice cream, she excused herself and took the trek to the nearest public restroom to wash her hands. Once her hands felt clean again, she wandered back to watch how Seifer and Hayner's competition had progressed only to find Fuu standing alone. Apparently, a couple of the people playing volleyball had to leave, and they needed people to fill in the empty places, therefore Rai and Pence had joined the game.

"Those boys," Olette said with a distant smile, crossing her arms and shaking her head. "They could ask us to join." She turned to look at Fuu, who had continued to keep her sharp red eyes on Seifer the entire time. Olette couldn't fight off the awkward feeling creeping through her shoulders. She hated the silence. It had been a long time since she'd really tried to talk to Fuu since they were small kids, and it was like they had never known each other except as rivals.

"Well…do you want to get some watermelon or something to drink and sit down and watch the game from under an umbrella?" Olette offered kindly. She couldn't imagine the burn either of them might get on their skin if they stayed out in the sun very much longer – both of the girls were fairly pale.

Fuu finally turned to Olette and said very shortly, "Fine."

Olette smiled while Fuu only nodded, and both of them went to get drinks for themselves, this time excluding anyone else, and then sat on their beach towels under an umbrella, a good distance from the volleyball's range but close enough to see and hear the figures playing. Olette couldn't help but stare up at Fuu for a while, watching how the girl rarely blinked as she watched Seifer with utmost loyalty. Oh, how much Olette wished she could be that loyal of a friend to Hayner. Not that she wouldn't have a good laugh about this trip when school started back up, but right now she wished her friend had been a little more considerate of the circumstances. Pence and her had plotted to save up, mindful of the way Hayner lacked the self discipline to save munny, so they could have such an outing. They tried for this many summers, but as they got older, Olette wanted better memories, and well…frankly, Hayner could compete with Seifer at anytime, at any place.

Olette wasn't sure where Fuu's unwavering faith and loyalty came from, but she knew that Fuu and Rai both always were right where Seifer was. Olette, in most circumstances, would always side with Hayner too, but in this case she felt more betrayed and that stung. And now they hadn't bothered to include Olette or Fuu in the game!

Olette was feeling awkward again, wanting to talk to Fuu, but knowing how she would respond. Fuu's short answers intimidated her just a little bit, even though they hadn't when they had both been younger. Still, Olette was interested in the girl with the piercing red eyes. Well, at least she thought they were both red. Fuu tended to hide her left eye behind her hair, though more recently she'd been adjusting an eye patch over it. At the moment, though, there was no eye patch, and Fuu continued to stare at Seifer.

"School is about to start, and then we'll see stuff like this everyday," Olette said with a chuckle, before sipping on her drink slowly. Gnawing on the end of the straw, she debated if she should just shut it when Fuu didn't answer or look at her. Damn, why was this always so awkward? Fuu seemed nice enough – they could easily be friends, right? How did Seifer get to know Fuu in the first place? Olette didn't really mind the short answers, but she hated this awkward approach – maybe because they had been childhood friends separated by a strange rivalry and Olette desperately wanted to become reacquainted with Fuu. They were older now, and beyond these childish games.

"Out," Fuu suddenly said, pulling her straw away from her lips and giving her drink a shake. Her eyes left Seifer to stare at the drink, and then drifted back up to her right to look over at Olette. She gave a small, fragment of a smile, before standing up. "Be right back."

Olette was used to one or two words and that was it. Three…well, that was something right? She watched Fuu stand up and make her way back to the concession stand for a refill, feeling a bit more relaxed. Finally, Fuu had talked with her! Maybe it wasn't much, but it at least made Olette feel like she wasn't so much an enemy. Sure, she was on Hayner's side – well, not technically but they were friends so association really called the shots on that one – but Fuu had at least regarded her, and that made Olette feel a lot better.

Olette messed with her brown hair, pulling it back and debating whether to pin it up. Even under the shade of a large umbrella she'd insisted on dragging to the beach (and made Pence carry), it was unbearably hot and strands of hair were sticking to the back of her neck. Digging in her pack, she found a clip and pulled her brown locks back loosely.

A few moments later, Fuu returned and sat back down next to her, again barely smiling at Olette – but Olette beamed back, enjoying the silence as both of them watched their companions play volleyball.

* * *

Despite always harping on her friends to have their homework done, Olette, by no means, actually enjoyed homework. She just understood its importance, finished it, and then tried to enjoy the rest of her time without worrying that she would have to finish it later in the day. Yet she found herself sighing multiple times at her locker when she dumped another book in her bag, adding to the immense weight. She really, really needed to invest in a cart, or a suitcase on wheels. Adding forty pounds on her back on the walk home from school was just too much – what were these teachers thinking? Not that she'd ever voice her thoughts out loud. She'd never be able to convince Hayner and Pence to get their homework over if she started to complain about it herself, even if it was for different reasons.

She walked down the hall towards the side entrance of the school, pulling out a package of gum. It was then that she noticed Fuu leaning up against the wall with her arms crossed near the door to the music room. Unable to resist, Olette waved at her, hoping Fuu would see and at least wave back.

"Olette," Fuu responded in surprise, straightening up and looking at the brunette.

"Oh, I just thought I'd say hi on my way home. You know, we had a lot of fun this summer. Hayner has been trying to work out more, after losing to Seifer one minute and winning against him the next…" Olette couldn't help but let out a giggle. Fuu nodded shortly in response. "Anyway, we should do that again…it was fun."

"Yes," Fuu said, and there again came that small trace of a smile. Olette had figured out by the end of that trip to the beach that Fuu's small smile was equivalent to one of her own grins. She loved the gentle way in which Fuu's lips barely parted, the corners of her mouth barely tugging upwards for a brief moment. It was…well, Olette thought it was cute.

Blushing at where her thoughts were going, Olette quickly looked down at her sneakers, which she was shuffling against the ground, and grasped the straps of her heavy backpack a little tighter.

"Well, I'd better get home. They've assigned me quite a bit of homework. But I'll be seeing you." Olette glanced up at Fuu long enough to give her a smile and a brief wave before heading out the doors.

"Hey Olette," Pence said, trotting up to her. "Do you want to go to the back alley now?"

"Do you need help with homework?"

"Um…" Pence hesitated, scratching the back of his head and avoiding eye contact with Olette. "Er, well…Hayner wanted to see if you wanted to play basketball."

"It's still the first week of school…" Olette said hesitantly. "Anyway, I think we should do our homework first, right?"

"Um, right." Pence looked up at her in surprise.

"What is it?" Olette asked, tilting her head and looking up at him quizzically.

"Well, usually you'd be…a little less gentle when you said that. Something wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong. I guess I just got sidetracked. I was talking to Fuu just before I left." She hadn't realized she'd been so obvious – or was she obvious? Eh, who cared? "Anyway, let's do our homework!"

The last sentence was more like what Pence was used to hearing, and she heard him groan behind her as she quickened her pace and made her way to the back alley. She couldn't help but smile, not surprised by Pence's reaction. Honestly, why did they bother asking her to play games before they did homework? Did they not know her by now?

"Wait, you were talking to Fuu?" Pence suddenly said. "I…I didn't know you were really close. I mean, I've hung out with Rai and she's pretty much always with Rai and Seifer. She never really says much."

"She was alone. I think she was waiting on Seifer and Rai. We just said hello." Olette couldn't help but hesitate, and then decide against saying they certainly weren't close. She had been around Fuu for a long time. They had hung out when they were smaller, all six of them – Hayner and Seifer had still been competitive back then, and Fuu hadn't talked much, and Pence and Rai got along great as ever, but everything had been more mellow back then. Somewhere along the way, as they grew older, they seemed to divide into two major factions and everyone sort of became enemies. It was odd – she'd known Fuu her whole life, and when they grew older she hadn't thought much on how they had gone their separate ways. Now it was like the girl never left her mind.

* * *

The ringing of Olette's door chime snapped her attention away from a book she was reading on her bed. She hadn't expected to hear the chime go off – she had spent most of the afternoon and early evening helping her friends with homework and then playing a game of basketball with them once they had finished, so it likely wasn't Pence or Hayner unless something serious had happened. She hopped off of her bed and went to the living room to answer the door.

"Fuu," Olette said in surprise, stepping aside so Fuu could enter the house. Not only was Fuu alone, but why was she here?

"Market Street," Fuu said shortly as she stepped inside the house.

"You…you want to go to Market Street?" Olette glanced outside the door she hadn't bothered to close yet and noted the sky was getting a bit dark by now. They were older now, and Twilight Town wasn't unsafe, but it was still such short notice on top of being so late. They had school tomorrow too. Still, Olette didn't want to pass up the opportunity. "Let me get my shoes out of my room! I'll be back in a moment."

While Olette dashed off to her room and fumbled around under the piles of clothing for her slip-on sneakers, her head was full of many puzzled thoughts. Her heart was racing faster than she would have expected, almost as if she were being taken on a last-minute date. Date…what? No, this wasn't a date. They were just getting to know each other as friends. Yes, that was what it was.

Olette pushed her feet into her sneakers and padded back out to the living room, her heart still thumping against her chest hard. Both girls headed out the door and walked all the way to Market Street, and Olette watched as the sun sank out of site behind the buildings, not sure what to say. The silence was fine by her, and she had trouble looking directly at Fuu. What had happened this summer for her to suddenly want to be in Fuu's company so much?

"There," Fuu suddenly said, pointing over to an accessories store. Either Olette was imagining things, or her wallet had come to life, because she felt it suddenly shiver in the back pocket of her cargo pants. Accessories were her utmost weakness. She could save better than Hayner, but that didn't mean she was always responsible with her spending. Then again, she was also better at doing odd jobs during her free time and earning more money than Hayner was.

They stepped into the accessories shop, and Olette wondered why Fuu had wanted to come here specifically.

"Are you looking for something specific?" Olette asked her softly. Fuu shook her head.

"Browsing."

Olette nodded in response and laced her fingers together as both of them walked around the store while looking at different items. There were beautiful beaded bracelets and amazing pendants that Olette thought were cute, a few hairpins that Olette itched to buy, and even a few eye patches that…well, odd to say, Olette thought one of the navy blue eye patches would look really good on Fuu as opposed to the black one she happened to be wearing at the moment.

"Blue is definitely your color," Olette said as Fuu ran her fingers along the soft eye cover. "I think you'd look really good with a purple eye patch."

Fuu said nothing, only gave her small smile and held onto the patch instead of returning it to the hook on the wall. If Fuu was buying something, Olette felt she could justify getting those hairpins! They had silk hibiscus flowers on them, which was a favorite of Olette's. She guiltily wore a lot of shirts with summer flower prints on them, and accessories too.

"Pretty," Fuu commented as she watched Olette reach over and pick up the hairpins. Olette beamed happily, pleased that Fuu also approved of her purchase. Once they got to the checkout line, Olette's wallet felt a little lighter and at the same time, she half expected it to whimper. Impulse purchases were the worst.

There was not much said after they left the store and started walking back to their neighborhood. Fuu only lived in the apartments down the street from Olette's house, so they walked together on the now-dark streets. Olette enjoyed the quiet, peaceful evening, feeling completely relaxed. She unpackaged the hairpins and put them in her hair.

"What do you think?" Olette said with a gentle smile towards Fuu.

Fuu turned her head and blinked. "Nice."

"You should put on that new eye patch," Olette said. "I think it'll look pretty with what you're wearing now, since your shirt is blue."

Fuu dug the eye patch out of her pocket and removed the tag by ripping it with her teeth and slipped the band around her head. Olette reached over and helped Fuu cover the black band with her white hair.

"See, you look pretty!" Olette said, pulling a compact out of her cargo pants, flipping it open so Fuu could look in the mirror.

Fuu didn't say anything in response, and Olette couldn't read her expression at all. Fuu didn't seem to blush, but she didn't make eye contact with Olette, and she stuck her hands in her back pockets and ran her tongue across her lips quickly.

"Well, we'd better get home…school is tomorrow," Olette said, trying to remedy the awkwardness by changing the subject. She hadn't meant to say something so embarrassing, she really hadn't. It had just come out! She gently closed her compact and slipped it back into her pocket.

Once they reached Olette's house, Olette stopped and turned to Fuu at the doorstep. "I'll see you tomorrow at school," she said gently.

"Tomorrow." Fuu agreed. Olette didn't enter her house right away. She unlocked the door and stood there for a moment on the porch, watching as Fuu walked down the street, under a street lamp, and then disappeared into a building at the corner.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: Squeenix and Disney own Kingdom Hearts, but you knew that right? Squeenix owns everything in my life, I swear. Woe is me.

Author's Note: This chapter was easy for me at first, and then I went back over it, and found out I might have been rushing things again. However, I really, REALLY like the cake scene, dorky as it may be. I hope I managed to slow it down a bit. Olette strikes me as the kind of person who really likes to make friends and avoid enemies, and Fuu doesn't worry about it because she's got Seifer and Rai. So I think Olette would put effort towards a friendship, and Fuu would go with the flow (at least, as long as it doesn't conflict with Seifer and Rai). For now, Olette hasn't realized her feelings yet, and Fuu is going to take a little longer…

Thanks to my reviewers and anyone who has favored this so far!

I like concrit, speculation, so feel free to point out some tips or something, as I know I could use them!

Warning: Lesbianism, eventually. I promise. Olette x Fuu, yo.

* * *

"Olette, is something the matter?" Hayner's voice interrupted Olette's daze as she sat on the cement wall near the steps to the entrance of their school. She had been wringing her hands together, staring off into the distance at some trees planted on the school grounds, her mind deep in thought. She blinked at her friend for a moment, trying to register what he had said.

"Oh, I'm sorry for worrying you," she said softly. "I didn't mean to daze out there."

"Did you forget your homework?" Hayner teased, but he wasn't grinning like he usually did when he teased her. When she didn't answer, he sat down next to her and leaned in, lowering his voice. "You've been out of it all week. You don't seem upset, but I can't tell if you're happy either. It's kind of…not you."

"Eh," Olette said in surprise, tilting her head and brushing strands of her hair out of her eyes as they fell in her face. "I didn't even realize I'd been acting like this. I'm really sorry."

"Want to talk about what's up?" Hayner asked gently. "If now isn't a good time, you can tell me after school. We can go to the usual place."

Olette didn't answer right away. She felt guilty that she immediately wanted to turn him down, but confiding in her friend when she couldn't even specify what the problem was would be too complicated. She only had a general idea of what had been bothering her, or at least what had been on her mind a lot. It wasn't a subject she felt like sharing with anyone, even close friends. She had not been able to stop thinking about Fuu, and whether they would become friends or not. They had only nodded at each other twice in the halls. Since their meeting up after school a few days ago, every time Olette saw Fuu, she was with Seifer and Rai, so there hadn't been any chances for them to talk.

_I can't tell Hayner that the only thing on my mind has been Fuu._ Olette didn't want to think too much on it. She didn't want to dwell too long and start worrying Hayner all the more.

"I think I'll be okay, Hayner – I've just been distracted lately." She smiled at him as if that proved she was all right.

Hayner lifted up his hands and shrugged. "Well okay then. As long as you're all right."

Olette smiled appreciatively. She really did have amazing, supportive friends, and at the same time she could also be grateful that Hayner was the type of guy who didn't pry. If she said she was all right, he would believe her. Even if he didn't believe her, he would leave it alone. If she looked devastated or she was physically injured, he might not let her off with an "I'm all right" but in general cases, he accepted her answer. Olette had to appreciate that at times like this one.

"We can still go the usual place and hang out," Olette told him brightly. "We don't have school for the next couple of days, so we can play basketball or something."

The usual place was filled with boxes, torn up furniture that people had thrown out, and just random stuff that Hayner, Pence, and Olette had collected for their haven. Someday, Olette knew they would outgrow that place, but while they were in school they still had time. This time, it was just Hayner and Olette – Pence had to help his mother out, so he hadn't been able to come along.

"What a drag," Hayner said, entering their little haven in the back alley and sitting down on a crate. Olette took her favorite seat on the battered brown couch and shrugged at Hayner.

"Yeah, it's too bad he had to help his mom out, but we could always play basketball one on one or something. Or go shopping."

"Well, I don't really want to go shopping…" Hayner said hesitantly, glancing away from Olette. She chuckled and shrugged. "We could go to Sunset Hill…we haven't been there much. Not since the beginning of summer."

For some reason, that thought made Olette uncomfortable and she shifted in her seat, unable to answer. Going with Pence and Hayner had never been a problem, but it was something she would have preferred if all three of them were together.

"Wait, what about if Pence finishes helping his mom and comes here, and we're gone?" Hayner suddenly thought, and Olette was relieved to see that Hayner himself had dismissed the Sunset Hill suggestion.

"That's true. We don't want to be elsewhere if he comes looking for us."

"What's he helping his mom with anyway?" Hayner stood up and paced around the small room, waving his arms about.

"I think she needed help with putting together a desk," Olette said, trying to recall if it had been a desk, a bookcase, or some other sort of office furniture. "Pence said something about it being shipped today."

"Well, I suppose that might take a while, but then again, it might be easy to put together and take no time at all." Hayner sighed and flopped down on the couch next to Olette. "I'm sorry I don't really have many suggestions. I thought coming up with something to do for all three of us could be hard. It's even worse when one of us is gone."

"You're just easily bored," Olette teased him. "You don't know what to do with yourself if you're not fighting with Seifer or playing sports."

"It's because you're a girl, and you like to do girl stuff…" Hayner suddenly said, turning away, and resting his chin on the back of his hand. He stared towards the ragged cloth blocking their hangout from sight.

Olette wasn't sure she knew what Hayner meant. Sure, she was a girl and liked shopping, but her friends knew she didn't keep long nails for a reason – having long nails was just a pain in the ass when playing sports or wrestling with friends. She could sent spit flying three feet when she wanted to, and she had torn plenty of holes in the knees of her jeans! What did being a girl have anything to do with not being able to come up with any suggestions for what to do after school?

Hayner figured her silence was due to confusion and with his cheeks flushing red, tried to spit out an explanation. He wouldn't even look at Olette, so she couldn't see his how hard he was blushing.

"Well, a lot of the others guys are…getting girlfriends. Everyone at school talks about…their dates and stuff. And girls are sort of the same way – they're worried about getting boyfriends. So I didn't know…if you were worried about that sort of stuff."

"You mean dating?" Olette said with a chuckle. "No. No, Hayner…I…I'm not interested in boyfriends or gossip like some of those other girls."

"Oh." She stopped when she heard how cold his voice sounded.

"Hayner?" Olette's face crinkled, her eyes staring at him with concern. When he didn't answer or look at her, she looked down at her knees and tried to think of what had made his voice sound so hard. She massaged her knees with her palms, going over what she had said.

"I only meant that I'm not ready. I still want to have fun and spend all my time with my friends. You and Pence mean everything to me, Hayner."

She finally felt his eyes on her and looked up at him to meet them.

"Of course." Hayner began laughing. "You're always Olette. I feel so stupid, assuming you were changing like everyone else. It would suck if you stopped hanging out with us."

"I don't think it would be so easy to toss aside my best friends for gossiping with girls about boys," Olette said, smiling as Hayner looked more and more relieved. "I think I'd be really hurt if my best friends abandoned me."

"We would never," Hayner said seriously.

"Well, how about we go over and see if we can help Pence?" Olette suggested, coming up with a plan suddenly. All this talk of separation made her miss Pence's company. "And then the three of us should get sea salt ice cream."

"Now _that's _a plan!"

* * *

After school the next day, Olette resolved to make more of an effort towards becoming friends with Fuu. If Fuu could take the effort to ring her door chime, Olette would take the effort to ring Fuu's. Unfortunately, it was an obnoxious buzzer that happened to jam so badly the buzzer refused to stop going off after she pushed it. Fuu answered the door while Olette tried to use the end of one of her hairpins to work the button back out.

"Jams Often," Fuu said, reaching a finger over and pushing the button, giving it a firm wiggle, and then reaching away. The button popped back out and the living room silenced.

"I'll have to remember that," Olette said, returning her hairpin and smiling at Fuu.

Fuu stepped back inside the house, waving for Olette to follow. Olette looked around the living room as she closed the door behind her. The house was simple without many decorations or funiture, but looked lived in – a throw blanket was crumpled at the end of the couch, a small pile of sports magazines had fallen off the glass coffee table to the floor, and there were a couple of struggle bats leaning up against a closet door. Fuu guided Olette to the hallway to her own room. She sat down on the futon, which was folded up like a couch to save on the limited space of a rather small room. Olette sat next to her, curiously peeking around. The floor was covered in books, papers, notebooks, and pencils, and there was a beanbag chair in the corner next to the closet with potato chips littered around the floor. When Olette looked, there were also potato chips on the floor next to the futon.

"Food fights," Fuu explained, noticing Olette's gaze and smirking.

"I take it you hang out here with Seifer and Rai a lot?"

Fuu nodded, pointing to a picture frame up on the wall over her tiny dresser. It had obviously been taken in the same room they were in, with Fuu, Rai, and Seifer all sitting on the futon and looking up at whoever had taken the picture. Seifer and Rai had goofy grins on their faces, reaching around Fuu, who sat in the middle, trying to stop each other from giving the other bunny ears.

"Oh wow," Olette said. "Pence and Hayner hate hanging out in my room. They tease me about all the clothes and jewelry I have lying around. We usually hang out in my kitchen, though my mom sort of banned us all a few months ago when we decided to make a volcano as a science project. Hayner threw in too many ingredients at once. It was a mess."

Fuu stood up and went over to the dresser, lifting a photo album off the top and bringing it back. She flipped it open and set half of it on Olette's lap and the rest on hers. She pointed to one of the first pictures – Seifer and Rai scowling down at a volcano, which had erupted neon green lava onto the table. Olette chuckled, remembering the orange "lava" that had poured out of her own volcano – and had stained the cheap linoleum floors.

"Wrong food coloring," Fuu explained, her mouth barely open in a grin.

"Hayner thought spaghetti sauce would work…" Olette said, twisting her nose up in disgust as she remembered the smell and stains.

They continued to flip through the album and Olette got to see sides of Fuu and her friends that she had never seen before. Seifer did not seem like the same person who egged on Hayner or dragged on about being on the disciplinary committee. It was as if she were looking at images of her times with Hayner and Pence, especially when she got to see them relaxed and smiling.

"Our friends are our lives," Olette said when they got to the last page and Fuu closed the album up. Fuu nodded in agreement.

"Thirsty?" Fuu asked, standing up. She replaced the album and Olette followed her out the door to the kitchen. She pulled out soda from the fridge for both of them and then leaned against the counter.

"I'm sorry if I suddenly showed up," Olette said, opening up her own can of soda. "I haven't had a chance to talk to you all week and you live so close by." She took a drink from her soda before continuing on. "I was hoping we could hang out a little bit, if that's all right with you."

"Cool," Fuu replied, hoping up onto the counter to sit down.

As far as Olette could sense, Fuu didn't seem to mind her presence, but Olette still felt slightly awkward. She wasn't sure whether to offer that they go hang out, or just continue to invade Fuu's house. She had never met Fuu's parents either. It seemed like Fuu's parents were not home at the moment – the rest of the house was completely lifeless. There didn't even seem to be a pet around.

"Cake!" Fuu suddenly leapt off the counter and walked over to the other side of the kitchen. Olette, surprised by Fuu's sudden exclamation, went over to her side and peered down. There was a note taped to the top of the clear plastic cover.

"_Fuu,_

_We had a going-away party at work today for one of my fellow co-workers, and I had to bring the cake. So much was leftover! Feel free to snack on the leftovers – if Seifer and Rai want some, they're free to have some too! _

_Love,_

_Mom."_

Fuu glanced at the note before setting it on the counter and opening the lid of the cake. There was a decent amount left and a plastic knife still inside the container. Fuu cut off a slice and pointed at it.

"Want some?" She asked.

"Thank you! It looks really good." Olette reached over and took the piece while Fuu cut off another slice for herself. For Olette, eating cake with her fingers was no easy task and she ended up getting frosting on her chin. She watched in horror as crumbs fell to the floor, but when she looked up apologetically at Fuu, she saw that Fuu was losing pieces to the floor too. Fuu only shrugged and bit into the cake, and once she had finished her small piece, she started to laugh.

Olette could only think "delightful" when she heard Fuu's laughter. It wasn't that mocking laughter she had heard Fuu use in the past when she was around Seifer and Rai, and they were talking about owning Hayner at some game or another. It was a gentle, light laugh that was comforting to Olette.

"Frosting," Fuu said, pointing to Olette's chin.

"You have some there," Olette said, pointing to the top of Fuu's nose. Fuu quickly swiped the top of it off her nose and licked her finger clean, making Olette giggle. Olette found the paper towels on the cabinet and wiped her face clean. "Now we have to clean up the floor."

Both girls swept up the crumbs together and replaced the lid on the rest of the cake before heading back to Fuu's room where they spent the remainder of the time doing school work. Or rather, Olette found out that Fuu was a very good math tutor, and Fuu discovered that Olette was pretty good at interpreting literature.

"The teachers always dissect one poem or short story," Olette said, propping the literature book up with her knees as she sat on the futon, tapping a pencil against her lips. "These questions always confuse me a bit, sometimes, because they ask questions for things I didn't even see in the story."

"Unnecessary," Fuu agreed.

"I usually elaborate when I find a connection, and make it seem like I actually know what the question is asking…" Olette blushed, surprised that she was admitting to her shortcuts in schoolwork. She got the strong impression Fuu really did not like unnecessary things, and that made Olette long to be a little more like that. She sometimes found herself buying too much on shopping sprees at Market Street, for instance, and her room was overly cluttered with things she later looked back on and thought were pretty frivolous purchases. Fuu's room was less cluttered, and her grades were excellent save for the literature grade – apparently, Fuu's lack of words was affecting her grade. "I think your teacher is a little bias though," Olette admitted, looking frustrated.

"I try," Fuu said. There was no doubt, from her tone, that she was beyond frustrated. Top grade students like Fuu just didn't make Bs, and Olette sensed that Fuu was trying her best.

So Olette helped her, though not by doing her work. Both girls had far too much pride for such a thing, but Olette's tips as she read through the short story and questions assigned helped Fuu write a few more words than she usually would.

By the evening, Olette was tired out but satisfied. Her algebra grade would be a little kinder to her now, and hopefully Fuu's teacher would consider her efforts. Best of all, Fuu hadn't kicked her out as soon as she had shown up. If Olette had tried to visit her a year ago, she was sure Fuu would have shut the door in her face, mostly out of confusion. They had been rivals for so long, though Olette could never recall any one-on-one competitions with Fuu. It had always been three against three, and only Hayner and Seifer ever went one-on-one. Usually, Rai and Pence could be friends and chat when they weren't backing up their friends, and Olette hoped to have the same with Fuu. She was tired of rivalry and competition, and she honestly felt they were all getting a bit too old for it.

* * *

"You're going to what?" Pence blinked at Olette in surprise before sweeping his eyes around Olette's room.

Olette finished putting a folded shirt into a box and straightened up, looking more determined than Pence had ever seen her. She put her hands on her hips and looked around the room, trying to find more items to collect.

"Don't you have an attachment to that shirt?" Pence objected when Olette found a shirt lying over the back of a chair and picked it up, beginning to fold it to add to the box. "Isn't that the shirt that you wore on your first day of high school or something?"

Olette couldn't help but chuckle, stopping to look directly at her friend.

"Honestly, it sounds like you're more attached than I am," Olette said softly. She went back to folding the shirt and plopped it in the box. "I never wear it anymore. I just think I should clean up in here a bit. It seems like such a waste to keep all this stuff around, so if I donate it, it will get better use. I won't donate anything I'm really sentimental about, though. Don't worry."

Pence sighed, shifting from one foot to the next and looking at his feet.

"What I'm worried about is that you'll regret it," Pence said. "You might want something back that you gave away."

"I'm being careful not to do that. It's just…" Olette shrugged. "Don't you think it's wasteful to keep around so many things I never wear? Toys that I won't play with ever again?"

"If you get rid of Sprinkles, I won't believe a word you say."

"Sprinkles?! I could never give Sprinkles away!" Olette swiped a blue plush unicorn from her bed and squeezed it. The toy looked like it had seen its fair share of parks, sandboxes, and sick children – which was exactly what the toy had been through. As a child, Olette had carried Sprinkles around like he was a part of her.

"Okay, okay," Pence said, holding up his hands and retreating towards her door. "I was just making sure. Anyway, I'm going to get me some lemonade."

"Oh I should get some too," Olette said, tossing Sprinkles to her bed and following Pence out of her room. Both got glasses of lemonade and Olette stared at the new floor tiles her mom had put in after the little volcano incident. The floor tiles didn't stain the way the cheap linoleum did. Even if the linoleum were gone, the memory was deep in Olette's mind – she didn't need items to remember important and special events.

"I thought it would be nice to give away more of my stuff. I rarely give away my stuff to donation. I shouldn't be so selfish," Olette said. In the past, she had to persuade herself more to throw any single item from her room in a donation box. Now she was feeling more pleased and happy about it.

"I think you're doing something great, I'm just used to you pulling stuff out later before you actually donate the box, claiming certain items were too important to you."

"It won't be like that this time. I don't feel regret. I'm really happy about it."

"What changed your mind?"

"Fuu."

Pence choked on the lemonade he had just poured and started drinking. Olette's head darted up in worry when she heard him choke, only for her eyes to meet his gaze.

"Fuu changed your mind?"

"Well, she has great memories with her friends. I was over at her house yesterday after school and she was showing me a picture album. I thought about it, and all I really need is a camera and my memory. I can still be sentimental, and in the end, orphans can have my clothes and toys. It all works out!"

Olette clapped her hands together in delight, proud of her conclusion. Pence chuckled, the two of them toasting their lemonade.

"To unnecessary clutter," Pence said.

"To the orphans," Olette said. Both of them erupted into laugher before sipping on their glasses of lemonade.


End file.
